At the September 6 stated meeting of the session, one of the first orders of business was to discern and determine together our values and commitments of how to work together in our discussions of sensitive issues. We are determined to listen well and love deeply to the glory of God. To that end we agreed to these ground rules, understanding that this covenant may just be a beginning point, and we may feel led to add to it in the future.

• We will be in prayer for each other and for our work that we may faithfully serve God, be guided by the Holy Spirit, and seek the Mind of Christ and thus the unity of the Church, on all matters;
• We will use scripture as our guide and study it together;
• We confess that we are sinners living in a broken world, with God as our only true judge and Christ as our only hope for salvation. Therefore, we will approach our discussions with repentant and humble hearts;
• We recognize that, although we are diverse in our gifts, personalities, and convictions, we are all members of the same body, with Christ as our head, and that God works through each member. Therefore, we will strive to be respectful and gracious with each other in word, tone, and manner. We will refuse to question each others’ motives, intelligence, or integrity, even if we disagree;
• We recognize that we are fellow journeyers on our life-long road of faith, seeking true wisdom in answering perplexing life questions. Admitting that none of us have all of the answers, and we all have much to learn, we pray to be open to what God is trying to teach us;
• During discussions we will: listen attentively without interrupting; be honest, but not abrupt; discuss, not debate; be responsive, not reactive; speak from personal experience, not gossip or rumor; and seek first to understand, rather than be understood. We will seek and speak truth...only, and always, in love;
• We will seek to reach consensus whenever possible, ever mindful of our responsibilities to all the members of ZPC; Covenant for Communal Discernment
• We recognize that although the task of dealing with denominational issues is serious and important, it can be a distraction from our true mission. Therefore, we will seek disciple-making opportunities as we walk through this process, and pray for Godly perspective;
• We believe that ultimately God will lead our discernment process to a place where we can, with peaceful conviction, present recommendations to the congregation. We trust in the truth that God will always provide more than we can hope for or imagine.

This covenant extends from the session to the entire ZPC family as we engage and listen to the voice of the ZPC membership. We invite our ZPC family to uphold these values and commitments as you engage in discussion with each other. The unbelieving world needs to see that brothers and sisters in Christ can discuss difficult subjects and make hard decisions in a way that is different from the world’s way. We are determined to use this situation as an opportunity to demonstrate the love and power of God in our lives.